Fire Dragon's Friend
by MissLark
Summary: What realizations will Natsu and Lucy come to after their triumphant return from the Grand Magic Games? Circumstances arise that will make them confront their feelings. Part one of a series about Fairy Tail Lives
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi all, this is my first fanfiction, so I hope you like it. The story is complete, so I'll be posting chapters quickly until it is all up. This story takes place after the Grand Magic Games and the following fight with the dragons that came through the Eclipse door. I'm basing my stories on the Anime, as I've had trouble getting into the manga due to the art style, I've seen some of the episodes after this point (including the arc where the Celestial Spirits have been effected and try to gain freedom) but felt the stories I wanted to write best fit here. I am also writing several other stories in the Fairy Tail world that will be directly related to these. I suppose I'll call the series "Fairy Tail Lives", or something like that. That said, those other stories will include a couple of OCs that may be mentioned here and change one detail of the official story as regards this one, in my little fanfiction there were eight dragons that passed through the gate and eight dragon slayers to fight them. (One of my OCs is another Dragon Slayer member of the Fairy Tail guild.)**

 **I obviously do not own Fairy Tail or the characters created in its excellent pages by Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Natsu sat in the forest outside Magnolia thinking. Not something he generally spent much time doing, but today his thoughts were weighty. The Grand Magic Games were over, they'd won back the good name of Fairy Tail and proven to the world that their guild was strong and worthwhile. They had regained the title of strongest guild in Fiore! It was proof that the faith of their comrades over the past seven years had not been misplaced. A repayment for their loyalty and all of the degradations they'd had to live with.

Then there was the battle with the dragons. Eight dragons had wreaked such havoc on the capitol city that the rebuilding would take a very long time, months at least. Eight Dragon Slayers and all of the guilds present had fought to defeat them, and in the end it had not been the Slayers who had stopped them, but the destruction of the Eclipse door through which they had come between times, sending them back to their proper era.

It had been a hard battle, they'd nearly lost in many ways. He could still see the body of the future Lucy dead before him and his stomach tightened in grief for the memory, even though that event, that future, should have been reversed, as it were. But it had made him stop and take stock of things.

He was close with all of his nakama, but Lucy was his best friend, next to Happy, and seeing her life snuffed out before him had been an intense shock to him. The fact that he'd still managed to protect the present day Lucy was infinitely reassuring, but didn't lessen the effect of the occurrence on him. It also made him think how he'd have reacted had the present day Lucy died. He had to admit that it would probably affect him more than Lisanna's "death" had done back when they'd thought Mira and Elfman's sister had died. If he could get over the rage and terrible pain initially then he'd survive it. He would go on, for the sake of his remaining friends, for the guild, but a piece of him would have been forever torn from him.

Natsu was pretty dense about some things, but he began to wonder if his closeness with Lucy was something more than just a friendship. He wanted to protect all of his guild mates, but with Lucy that protectiveness was more intense, more visceral. He wondered what exactly that meant. He was not ignorant that she was pretty, and with the number of times he'd suggested she use seduction as a distraction, he obviously found her attractive, even though he'd say stupid things about how the distractions failed and how unsexy she must be if they didn't work, or make comments about her being heavy when he carried her, even though she was in great shape. Dragon Slayers were very much like the dragons they were supposed to be strong enough to destroy, it was a side effect of the magic that made them what they were. And as they had learned, the slaying of too many dragons could actually enhance that similarity to incredible, sometimes terrifying lengths. Dragons tended to mate for life, from what Igneel taught him, but Natsu had never really felt a pull to any female after he'd reached maturity. Yeah, he'd been close to Lisanna, but not as attached as she was to him back then. Was he finally beginning to be drawn to one? Such thoughts were not that clear in his mind, they were vague and hard to grasp. He truly was quite dense about romantic sensibilities, but the loyalty and closeness with Lucy was unique and it was beginning to confuse him.

With a "psh" and a slight growl he banished the frustrating and confusing thoughts from his mind. Even though he wanted to understand things now he should have plenty of time to work out his feelings. It was time to go to the guild and see what was going on with everyone else.

* * *

Lucy was at the guild talking with Levy. It was so nice having their old guildhall back! They were whispering about a certain Iron Dragon Slayer that she was trying to convince Levy to admit she had feelings for. They were attached to each other, Lucy was sure of it, and Gajeel had since proven that he was not the same person who had attacked and hurt the guild. In fact he would protect it with his life if need be, and he seemed to have quite a tender spot for the tiny bluenette. While Lucy didn't always like him, she admitted that she would trust him if it came up. Both of them were stubborn, however, and refused to actually ADMIT that they had feelings for the other. Levy didn't deny it as hard as she used to, but she still didn't seem ready to confess her feelings to the metal head. She was probably a bit afraid of rejection.

Lucy couldn't really blame her, given that she was fighting some denial of her own. She was forever denying that she felt anything more than friendship for Natsu. But while she was still outspoken about it whenever the subject came up, she was less certain in her own mind. She'd thought of the subject off and on ever since Mirajane had mentioned that maybe Natsu was going to confess affection for her months...no, years... ago. Even now she forgot sometimes the seven year gap. Ever since that time she would occasionally think of Natsu and wonder if maybe there was something more there. But he was her best friend and she refused to complicate things with added affection. She refused to put in jeopardy the closeness they had and their friendship for something she wasn't even ready to acknowledge to herself. She lied to herself and told herself that it didn't make her worried a little when Lisanna returned to them, that she didn't wonder if she had just been a temporary replacement for the Strauss girl. She wasn't precisely jealous of Lisanna, especially since Natsu had not thrown her aside and still spent a lot of time with her. She did, however, harbor a slight insecurity about Natsu and Lisanna.

After a while Lucy gave up on convincing Levy today and their conversation turned to books, as per normal for them. It had already been a busy morning for Lucy and she was grateful to simply sit and converse with her friend. After their latest brush with death after the Grand Magic Games Lucy had determined to get stronger as a magic user. Her progress since joining Fairy Tail was already quite good, but she needed to become stronger, to become someone who wasn't always relying on others to protect her. She'd never be an Erza, but she wanted to be able to protect her comrades just as they protected her.

This morning she had woken early and, not finding any intruding Fire Dragon Slayer in her house, had focused on training her magic power, just as she had with Capricorn before the Games. Over the time since the Games she had come to a point where she could, very briefly, summon three of her spirits at once when she was at full power. It was not yet possible for them to all be golden keyed spirits, but perhaps that would come one day. She could, however, call one of her Zodiac spirits and two of her silver keyed spirits to be at her side at once without it exhausting her. Or consistently have two of her Zodiac spirits summoned for an extended period without difficulty. Lyra, Plue and Crux and Pyxis were not really called for in a battle scenario, but it was the process of building her power that mattered.

She'd been trying to find more keys recently as well, with little luck. Although, she supposed more might come to light now that so many Celestial Wizards could no longer use their powers and no longer have contracts with their keys. The silver keys of either Caellum, Corvus, or Canis Major the "Big dog" would be welcome additions to help in fights but not require as much magic to summon. It was even amazing to think that now she knew of Ophiuchus' existence, there might be other keys of similarly powerful, non-Zodiac Celestial Spirits out there somewhere. Perhaps, for instance, there was a key for the constellation Draco. The thought of being able to summon a dragon celestial spirit when she was partners with a Dragon Slayer had made her giggle when she'd first thought of it.

She was also working out more to train her physical endurance, going for runs, or doing simple exercises at home. She wanted to train in combat as well, to hone her skills with the whip, but the thought of asking one of the guild was a little embarrassing. Natsu would never do, he'd insist that he could protect her, and he wasn't particularly focused. Erza was too intimidating. Mira was formidable when she was moved to fight, but somehow it didn't feel right to ask to train with her. Gray might well tease her about it, although he was likely her best option among the guild mates. Perhaps she'd ask Loke to train her. After all, he was a devoted friend and Spirit. And she was sure he'd approve of anything that helped keep his "master" safer. Capricorn would also be a good teacher, but he didn't pull verbal punches and she would want to be a bit more capable before asking him. She could see some improvement in her stamina, already, but she needed more skill. So perhaps she would start tomorrow with Loke.

There was a happy call of welcome as Natsu came in to the guildhall with Happy. She smiled at his friendly grin and excused herself from the conversation with Levy to go join her partner. "Hey, Natsu!" she said, walking up to them.

"Hey, Lucy!" he grinned. "What's up?" It was more of a greeting than a question, but she answered anyway.

"Not much. Want to find a job?"

"Yeah! But I'm surprised, you're set for a little while for rent, so why you so eager to get out?"

She shrugged. "Just felt like it, plus I really do have to get more serious in working if I want to save up enough to buy back my old home, remember? That's still a goal for me," she replied with a wistful smile and slightly far off look. And because her thoughts were elsewhere she missed the tender look he gave her.

"Well, ok! Let's go pick a job!"

Knowing Natsu's tendencies she looked for a job that would allow him to let out his...exuberance but still not risk destroying much. Finally she found one that looked promising. The job was requested by a town a half day out by train. They were being plagued by something that would steal livestock in the night. The pay was decent, and the difficulty wasn't high, so she took it down off the board. "What about this?"

"Sounds easy enough."

"Hey, hothead," said Gray, coming up. "You guys picked out a job?"

"You tryin' to start something, Ice Princess?!" yelled Natsu.

Lucy sighed as the insults flew and she told Mira that she and Natsu would be going on the job. Then, to save time and aggravation she took out her whip and snagged the Dragon Slayer by the ankle and yanked him away from the growing fight he had started and dragged him towards to door. She had learned a long time ago that to try and break it up by insinuating yourself in the fight, only caught you up in it. "Sorry, Gray, we shouldn't need help on this one! Come on, Happy!" she called over her shoulder while Natsu yelled and Happy smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This second chapter was shorter than all the others, I'm suspicious that when I broke up the chapters I broke this one off in the wrong place, so I decided to post it immediately along with the first. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2:

The job had been mostly easy, as she had predicted. Turned out to be a pack of some wolf-like things that were pretty fierce, but didn't seem inclined to attack people with the easier livestock around. They hadn't had any hesitation fighting Natsu and Lucy, though, when the humans prevented them from taking any more livestock. It would have been a quick and simple job if they hadn't underestimated the pack size and gotten a tad overwhelmed by numbers. The two had been separated with Happy and Lucy surrounded by a large number of the creatures. Natsu's concern for Lucy had distracted him, letting one of the largest of the creatures maul him a bit before he defeated it. He was ok, but a couple of the wounds were pretty deep and sore. In fact, Lucy had been in less danger than he'd imagined, for she'd rescued Happy from the jaws of one while summoning Taurus to help clear out the creatures.

Lucy had scolded Natsu for his carelessness, since she was worried about him, but it was half-hearted at best, since she knew he'd only gotten distracted because of his concern for her. More of a worry was that his protectiveness, while endearing, was way too touchy these days. Since it was late when they got back to Magnolia, Lucy invited him back to her place where she could take care of his wounds better than they had on the spot. It was too late to go asking for help from Wendy, or even Faye though she wasn't as good of a healer as Wendy. But she had plenty of the magically infused salve that Faye made, and could get more easily. It was nice having so many healers associated with Fairy Tail. Wendy was amazing. Porlyusica was a bit cranky but very knowledgeable. And Faye was great to have on hand for remedies and minor healings.

"Happy, you look really tired," Lucy said. "Why don't you go straight home? Natsu will come get patched up and then I'll send him home as soon as that's done, ok?"

"Do you mind, Natsu?" Happy asked with a big yawn.

"Nah, buddy. You get some rest."

"Aye, sir. Bye, Lushy" Happy said tiredly and flew off towards his and Natsu's house.

"Poor guy is tired," Lucy said with some sympathy for the little Exceed. Sure they butted heads sometimes from his thoughtless and often downright rude comments. But she liked him all the same. In fact, it had torn at her heart during the battle with the dragons that Happy had shown such sorrow at the passing of her future self. His statement that "Lushy was Lushy" and that she was his friend and of course he'd be sad if she died had made her a little more patient with the Exceed. Even if he did constantly say that carrying her was too much because she was too heavy. _Rude cat,_ she thought to herself. _As if Natsu isn't waaay heavier than I am, and_ I've _even piggybacked him a time or two when he was too motion sick to walk after._

"Yeah, but he's fine."

They walked to Lucy's and it seemed strange to actually be letting Natsu into her apartment for once, instead of finding that he'd snuck in. She chuckled a little.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"Just that I'm usually kicking you out, not letting you in," she explained.

"Hey, you're right. Why do you always kick us out, anyway?"

"Cause, it's MY place!" she almost yelled. "Don't you guys have any sense of personal boundaries?"

"Overrated," was his mild reply.

"Uhhhg," she sighed, exasperated. "Just go sit in front of the couch and I'll get what I need to patch you up."

She got the bandages, salve, rags and clean water in a big pot, then brought it all over. "Can you heat up that water without burning down my place or boiling it into nothing but steam? Figure you'd be faster than my stove to get it warmed up."

"Sure thing!" he said cheerily.

While he did that she sat behind him and put everything out in easy reach so it would go fast and easy. When the water was hot she had him put the pot on the floor next to him where she could reach it. He took off his shirt so she could get at the couple on his back as well as the one on his left shoulder and upper arm. She blushed a little involuntarily and was glad he was faced away from her. _What was that? It's not like seeing him shirtless is new, and given Gray's stripping habit, it isn't like I haven't seen more of a man's anatomy than that. No matter how much I wish that weren't true!_ She shook her head to banish that random and stupid embarrassment.

After removing his bandages she looked all the wounds over before cleaning them again. Looked like she'd done a good enough job back on the job that nothing should get infected. As she finished that up and then began putting on the salve she spoke up.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. "You have to stop being so protective in situations like that. It's not that I'm ungrateful, or that I don't appreciate that you care, but look what it lead to? I don't want you getting hurt cause of me. And especially in a situation like that, where I wasn't really unable to handle myself.

"You know, I'm not the weak thing I was when I first came to Fairy Tail. I've gotten a lot stronger and am continuing to try and get even stronger. I'll never be as strong as you, or Erza, or lots of the others, but I can take care of myself, sometimes, you know." She finished up with the salve and started bandaging him up.

"You don't have to worry about being strong, Luce. You know I'll always be there to protect you!" he grinned over his shoulder.

"Natsu, you're missing the point, stupid!" she said and punched him lightly in the unhurt shoulder, frustrated at how he didn't get it. "I don't want you to have to protect me all the time! Maybe I want to be able to protect you and our friends sometimes. And maybe I want to be able to avoid things like this," she gestured to his back and arm, "by convincing you I'm capable of handling myself sometimes. I don't take solo jobs because we're a team, you said so yourself a long time ago, not because I'm incapable of handling jobs on my own anymore. Do you really have so little confidence in that? In me?"

"No!" Natsu rushed to say as she finished up his bandages. "It's just...just..." he hung his head and began to speak in a subdued tone that was really unlike him. And she knew that this was him being very honest and open with her, even though his voice did take on a petulant quality. "Ever since the Games it's been hard not to feel protective. I watched you die, Luce! I know, it was future you, not you you, and yeah, we stopped that future. But it messed with me. I get worried now about what would happen if I couldn't protect you."

"Natsu," she said softly, touched at his sincerity. Yeah, he could be an idiot sometimes, but he could be really sweet, too. Suddenly all of the times he'd done kind and thoughtful things for her sprang to mind. Especially prevalent in her thoughts was the time he sent that sakura tree down the channel so she could see the rainbow blossoms, and how he'd been so supportive when she'd found out about her father, even finding a job so they could start being able to pay her rent after the seven year gap.

Lucy leaned forward and put her arms over his shoulders and across his chest, hugging him from her seat on the couch and resting her cheek against his surprisingly soft hair. "Thank you," she whispered.

Natsu's hands covered hers and squeezed them gently. "For what?"

"For caring so much."

They were silent and still for a few moments more before she started to sit back up. Surprisingly, he didn't let her hands go. The silence, from her end at least, became questioning until he spoke softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Lucy."

She put her cheek back against his hair and smiled. "It's ok, Natsu. I'm not going anywhere. I love Fairy Tail, and I...I would never leave it, or you. And hey, I'm not above a little help when I do get out of my depth. I just want you to have confidence in me that in something non-major I can handle myself." Her heart was pounding over what she'd almost said, without thought or intent. She'd almost just said that she loved Fairy Tail and him! Where did that come from? She wasn't in love, damn it, he was her best friend. He was a bit of an idiot, he was childish, he was a hot head, he was...he was...loyal, and kind, and courageous, and strong. _Oh no. Maybe I really am in love with Natsu! How did this happen when I've tried so hard to keep things as friends and nakama between us? I don't want to spoil that!  
_  
"I know you're strong, Lucy. Sorry I worry so much. I'll try to show my confidence in you more." She could hear the smile in his voice. He started to let go of her hands and she managed to get one back before he grabbed her other quickly, his fingers against her wrist. "Hey, you ok, Luce? Your heart is goin' kinda fast."

"Of course, I am!" She said and pulled back her hand, and began picking up the bandages and things. "Now help me get this stuff cleaned up and then you get going home."

"Awwww, but Lucy, your bed is just so comfortable" he whined.

"Then buy your own!" Lucy said, her voice raising in agitation. "Besides, I told Happy I'd send you home."

"Ah, Happy won't mind, he knows I like how comfy your bed is."

"Well, I do mind," she huffed, putting things away.

Lucy turned around to see him pouting and looking a little vulnerable. Or maybe she just thought he did after that honest talk they'd had. But something in that look broke down her resolve. _This is so not good. I could really use some time to myself to think, but I feel so bad kicking him out after all that sincerity and concern he showed.  
_  
"Oh...fine. I'm going to go take a bath. And no messing with my book again, Natsu! I told you Levy gets to read it before I show it to anyone else."

Natsu smiled brightly and it made her heart beat a little faster. "Aye!" he cried, sounding like Happy.

She grabbed a pair of pajamas and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Then leaned her back against it heavily. _What am I going to do?_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Ok, so I guess it's just the excitement of having a first story ready and posted, but seeing that I've got a follow and a favorite just made my day. I know, it's silly, but there it is. So to try and cater to this excitement I'm going to just post the whole darned thing! It's ready, so why the heck not?!**

 **I also realize only now after already putting up my first two chapters that I never stated in the beginning that this story is written, as many fanfictions are, with the assumption that my readers already are familiar with the fandom, at least to some extent, so I have not made much in the way of descriptions on the physical appearances of the characters. If this ends up being a detractor to the story for some, I will consider adding such in. There is a little language in this chapter, if anyone things that this or later occurrences suggest a change in rating, please let me know, but it seemed this was not too bad for teen and higher. I try, however, to keep things no worse than they would be in the anime itself, and sometimes tone it a little from the way I'd imagine certain characters might speak just cause I don't much like swearing.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I wouldn't mind some reviews, if anyone feels like it.**

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Chapter 3:

Natsu laid down on Lucy's bed on top of the covers, staring up at the ceiling. Lucy had a point. He _had_ been acting a bit as though she was not strong enough to protect herself. She been through a lot since he brought her to join the guild. She'd endured pain, hardship and nearly ceased to be during the Infinity Clock business. She was a tough cookie and he _knew_ that, and yet he couldn't stop this need to protect her. There was a pervading fear that if he was not diligent he could lose her again. How could he satisfy his need to keep her safe but still maintain confidence in her abilities and keep from angering her again?

The Infinity Clock incident alone spoke to the young woman's strength. She'd managed to reverse the body link magic on a large number of Celestial Spirit Wizards and had accepted the possible risks inherent in the action. Sure, she would complain sometimes, but when it really counted and they needed her she was very reliable and unfailingly loyal. She was also very loving to her guild family. Yet even with her capabilities the sheer uniqueness of her magic and the number of keys she possessed made her more of a target than the average wizard. She was perhaps more rare as a wizard even than Dragon Slayers.

What could he do that would assure her safety and not infringe upon her independence? Making sure they took jobs together was one thing and a good start. Although she almost never took solo jobs anyway. But neither did he, for that matter, since they had teamed up after he brought her to the guild. There didn't seem like there was much more that he _could_ do without risking upsetting her, though. He _had_ gotten distracted and hurt because of it, and she was right that such things could not always be the case. He wasn't particularly concerned about getting hurt but it had worried Lucy and he felt guilty for it. He supposed he'd just have to deal with things as they came and try to rein in some of his worry. Not much of a plan, but he wasn't much of a planner.

He turned his head so he could better take in the scent of her from her bedding, sweet and calming, filling his mind and banishing some of his worry. With his mind a bit calmer he slipped easily into sleep. Anything more could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Lucy got out of the bath, dried off and dressed for bed. When she came out she saw Natsu asleep on her bed. Instead of being frustrated as usual, she smiled softly.

Before bed she wrote a bit more in her book before giving up and slipping under the covers of her bed. Sleep came easily and without any memorable dreams. Unfortunately, such was not the case for poor Natsu. Sometime after midnight Natsu sat bolt upright and yelled out "LUCY! NO!"

She fought off the remains of sleep and clawed her way up into consciousness. Once awake she looked at him, seeing him panting and looking terrified. She touched his shoulder gently. "Natsu?" His gaze shot over to her and he grabbed her roughly, holding her against him, her head tucked under his chin. Lucy blushed lightly and was grateful for the dark to hide it. He was trembling and she put her arms around him to try and calm him down. "Natsu? I'm here."

He was silent for so long she was becoming really worried. "Natsu. Please. Tell me."

Natsu took in a long and ragged breath, then pushed her back a bit, still holding onto her arms firmly. She watched him with concern written on her face as he stared at her. It was almost as if he was convincing himself that she were real. "I thought I'd lost you for good this time."

"It was just a dream, Natsu. I'm here." She lifted her hands to the sides of his face and pulled his forehead to touch hers as she comforted him. Just as he had done to the future Lucy to comfort her. "It was just a dream."

Natsu grabbed her tightly again and buried his face in her hair. "I am _not_ gonna let _anyone_ take you away from me like that again!" he growled.

"We changed that future, Natsu. Because of _you_! That future _doesn't_ come to be. I know that it was hard on all of us to witness a death like that, but we avoided it. In the end I know our future selves will be happy and well."

She stroked his hair gently and slowly he began to calm down and relax. He continued to breathe in her scent and she found herself blushing again. But her embarrassment was less important than making Natsu feel better. Finally, after a few minutes more he seemed much calmer.

"Natsu, let's get some more sleep. You need the rest." But he didn't let up his hold on her.

"I don't want to sleep again," he grumbled. Lucy understood. He didn't want to risk having a dream like that again.

"Ok. How about some food?"

Natsu smiled into her hair. "I'm always ready to eat," he said in a lively voice as he let her go.

"Of course you are," she muttered and rolled her eyes. To which Natsu responded by grinning that stupidly contagious grin of his that so defined his character.

Happy that she'd managed to calm him somewhat, she got up and headed to her little kitchen to prepare some food for the ever ravenous Dragon Slayer and some tea for herself.

* * *

Natsu was grateful for Lucy's calming presence and her attempt to cheer him up with food. Even though his appetite was low (for him) from the dream, it was a gesture he'd be glad to accept. In fact what had so far helped most was being able to breathe in her scent. Something about Lucy's scent always had an effect on him, whether it made him happy, calmed him down or simply just filled his senses. If he would have stopped to think about it, he might have realized that part of the reason he liked Lucy's place so much was that it smelled like her, and that affected him much more deeply than he realized.

The dream tonight had been awful. He'd first seen the Lucy from the future dead before him. Then he had turned to watch as one of the attacking dragons swiped _his_ Lucy aside causing fatal damage to her before he could even register what was about to happen. He'd gathered her up in his arms, received one last sweet smile and watched the life drain from her eyes. That was when he'd finally woke. _Wait a minute…._ my _Lucy? Eh, whatever, of course I'd think of her as my Lucy, she's my best friend._

This was not the first such nightmare he'd had since the Games had ended, either. Each one was a bit different. In some Natsu had not managed to stop Rogue. In some Lucy hadn't been able to close the Eclipse portal and a dragon horde had come through. When those dreams came he either wasn't able to protect Lucy from the dragons or had become too crazed from overuse of his Dragon Slayer magic and the defeat of too many dragons and had _caused_ Lucy's death. They always seemed incredibly real and he was beginning to lose needed rest because of them.

When Lucy had finished in the kitchen she brought him out some eggs and sausage, as well as a tiny bowl with a bit of oil that she set on fire with a handy match. Natsu beamed at her and devoured first the fire and then the food as she sipped at a cup of tea. She smiled at him and he grinned back. "That hit the spot, Luce!"

"I'm glad," she replied. "Now, I'm not kicking you out, but maybe you should get back to Happy, since you aren't going to sleep any more tonight anyway."

Natsu gave her a sheepish look, almost a pout, but nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Luce." He stood and stretched. "See you at the guild today?"

"Of course!" She smiled and something in his chest felt tight for a brief moment and he didn't know why.

"All right, see ya!" he called as he left through the window, per usual. He grinned to himself as he heard her yell behind him to use the door like a normal person.

* * *

In the dark of the pre-dawn morning a presence watched the home of Lucy Heartfilia, perhaps the strongest Celestial Spirit Wizard left in this generation. When the Dragon Slayer left, and was well beyond sight or sound of the building, a figure separated itself from the shadows and grinned in a disturbing manner. Plans that had been held off for seven years could now be brought back into play. It was, perhaps, a shame that she was not powerful enough to have _all_ of the twelve Zodiac keys, but the plan was not contingent upon the number of keys she possessed, but instead on her magical power. And since that was quite significant, she would do _just_ fine.

* * *

It was just past mid-day at the guild and as usual Gray and Natsu were just beginning another shouting match that would inevitably turn into a fight.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, FLAME BRAIN!" yelled the ice-make wizard.

"YOU, YA PERVY POPSICLE! YOU'RE PISSIN' ME OFF!" shouted the Dragon Slayer.

"HOT HEAD!"

"STRIPPER!"

"FIERY MOUTH BREATHER!"

"ICE PRINCESS!"

"THAT'S _IT_!" they yelled together and started throwing punches.

The fight continued for several minutes before Levy, who'd gone to see Lucy, came running in. Levy didn't usual appear panting and exhausted so everyone looked over at her, concerned. Even Natsu and Gray stopped their fight briefly to pay attention to what was happening. Gajeel was at her side out of nowhere. "What's wrong, Shrimp?"

"Lucy…" she gasped and Natsu was immediately intent upon her. "Her apartment was open and some things in her place were all knocked around. She's not there, either!"

"Calm down, Shrimp. Maybe Bunny Girl just went out for a while," Gajeel said, trying to calm her.

"NO, Gajeel! She'd never leave her home unlocked, open and in such a state. So many things knocked over and broken, that's not like her. Something is wrong!"

Natsu didn't wait to hear anything more. "Happy!" he shouted and ran to the guildhall doors.

"Aye, sir!" Happy called and cast Aera, shooting out the door to pick up Natsu and carry him fast and directly to Lucy's home.

When they arrived, they found exactly what Levy had said they would. _Oh, Mavis! I shouldn't have left her last night. I should have stayed here!_ He sniffed the air. He easily picked up Lucy's scent. Her lightly sweet smell of roses and honey. The smell of honey was simply a part of her scent and the roses was the soap she'd always used. But along with her scent there was another. It was musky and spicy, but in a most unpleasant way. And it was strong enough that he knew it had come after he'd left Lucy. Someone else had been in Lucy's place, of that we was positive. And he would bet money that person had taken Lucy away.

"Levy was right, Natsu," said Happy, mournfully. "Lushy isn't this messy, something happened."

His expression grew more fierce as he realized that Lucy's sweet scent was marred by an undertone of fear and that pissed him off as nothing else could. Gray and Erza had not been far behind him and entered Lucy's rooms to survey the scene.

"Someone else was here. Sometime after 3 this morning but probably not much after," he said. He was confident in pinpointing the time based on his departure and how strong the lingering scent still was as it would dissipate over time. "I can probably still follow Lucy's scent, it has been less than 12 hours and it shouldn't have become too weak to follow. But Lucy didn't just leave. That's obvious."

Erza nodded her agreement of his assessment.

"Ok," Gray spoke up. "How do we want to handle this?"

Natsu punched one hand with the other, fire surrounding his hands. "We track down the bastard that took her and pay him back 10 times over for any harm he's done to her. I'm fired up and ready to kick some ass once we've saved her."

"Agreed," Erza said, her expression just as fierce as Natsu's.

Gray nodded and they all left Lucy's place, Natsu sniffing the air to pick up traces of the missing girl's scent as well as that of the unknown person. As they left the building others from the guild ran up. Levy, Gajeel, Pantherlily, Wendy, Carla, Cana and Mirajane were all there. They passed on what they'd found and asked Wendy to come in case Lucy was hurt. Of course Wendy agreed. Then Levy piped up that Lucy was her best friend and she'd come as well, which led to Gajeel joining them since he wasn't going to let Levy go into a possibly dangerous situation without him. Carla and Lily would obviously be accompanying their Slayers.

Cana handed Levy a card they could use for communication and she and Mira said they'd go inform Master Makarov and the guild of what was going on. Gajeel and Wendy briefly went into Lucy's place to get a familiarity with the scent of the intruder.

That done, Natsu led the way following Lucy's scent out of Magnolia. He didn't know who was doing this, or why, but he was going to make them pay.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

When Lucy woke she had the most terrible headache and she was very uncomfortable. When she opened her eyes she saw why. She was actually _inside_ a _very_ large lacrima crystal ball. It was not quite as large as the lacrima that powered the Jupiter cannon or Nirvana, but just large enough that she fit inside it, though she felt cramped and didn't have enough room to get the leverage to try and break free.

What had happened? She remembered Natsu leaving and finishing her tea. Then she'd cleaned up the dishes and was getting ready to try and get a little more sleep. She'd come out of the kitchen to find a figure standing in the room. Suddenly a wave of dark red and evil feeling magic had enveloped her before she could do much of anything, she'd struggled as best she could but that blackness had been so disorienting. Her loss of consciousness had been almost immediate.

 _Well, crap. That means I've been kidnapped….again._ She was getting pretty damned tired of this. Seriously, why did the bad guys always want a Celestial Spirit wizard? And of course her keys weren't inside the lacrima with her.

Lucy looked around hoping to see her keys and take stock of her situation. Perhaps if her keys were close enough she could still manage to get Loke to hear her. He was unique in being able to come to her without always needing to have her keys right with her. The others would sometimes come to her on their own power, but for the most part they could not do so without their keys in her possession. Horologium had saved Arcadios during the Games but she honestly had no idea how he had managed that.

The room she was in was bare wood walls and floors. It looked to be a cellar or basement of some kind. The only things she could see in the room were herself inside the lacrima, a torch on the wall next to a single door and…yes! Her keys hung on the other side of the door. Obviously her captor thought she absolutely needed her keys in her possession to use them. Maybe she could prove them to be wrong and still be "lucky" Lucy today. She would try to summon Loke.

Her attempt was cut short by the building of a magical pressure signaling the arrival of her captor in the room. He was tall with dark skin and steel grey hair. His eyes were black as night and his presence frightened her. Although she'd be damned if she allowed her fear to show to this jerk.

"Ah, good," he practically purred with pleasure. It was an unexpected shock that such a smooth and otherwise pleasant voice would come from someone like this. "I was hoping you would be awake by now. This would be so much more dull if you weren't awake for the beginning."

"Beginning of what? What do you want, you jerk?" she demanded.

He chuckled. "Spirited, I see! That will be so much more fun."

"You are going to regret this unless you let me go right now. My friends will be looking for me as soon as I'm missed and you _don't_ want to make an enemy of Fairy Tail," Lucy warned.

"My dear girl, once I have what I want from you, no enemy will be able to challenge me."

"And what _do_ you want?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Your power, of course. Celestial Spirit Wizards are gates between worlds, even time, as you must realize. You are one of the strongest Celestial Wizards of this age." He paused in a dramatic way and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm going to absorb your power, nay your entire _being_ into this lacrima! Once that is done I, Kral, will be able to tap and use all of your power. I'll even be able to use your precious keys! Your contracts won't be void without your death and you won't _technically_ die. You'll just be pure power and magic in my lacrima. I can use that power to travel between times, change history to my advantage!"

His expression was frightful because of how crazed, yet calm, he looked. "It will, unfortunately, take the lacrima a while to drain your magic, but once it does, it will absorb your entire essence along with your magic."

The color drained from Lucy's face and Kral grinned. "I wanted to make sure you'd be awake to fully enjoy your last precious, and painful, hours of existence. Now...let's start, shall we?"

That finally snapped her out of her fear and she called with all her voice, heart and magic for her most powerful spirit, Leo the Lion, Loke of Fairy Tail. As she called she hoped and prayed that he'd hear and come. Thankfully luck was, indeed, with her and Loke appeared. He didn't have time for any of his usual banter. He took in her situation in an instant and went on the offensive.

Her captor mainly used Darkness based magic and was definitely strong. However, Loke was the leader of the Zodiac and kept him on his toes. He was able to keep the dark wizard occupied, and nearly took the upper hand when he used more close quarter's magic. Unfortunately, Kral also appeared to have command of teleportation magic, which assisted him in keeping close quarters fighting and magic use to a minimum. Loke never quite got a chance at freeing Lucy. Darkness and light pitted against each other would have been a spectacular fight to watch had Lucy not been so worried over Loke and whether he could defeat this wizard. Loke was likely the stronger of the two, but the dark wizard was crafty enough to avoid much of Loke's attacks. The two fought for so long that Lucy wasn't sure how long it lasted. Even when trying strictly physical attacks Kral managed to dodge and deflect them enough to gain himself some distance and teleport to a distance and use his magic again. He wasn't as strong of a fighter as Loke, but he wasn't inept, either. _Damn, that teleportation is making Loke have to fight so much harder and he can't manage to a hit with his Regulus attacks of the king._

It must have been nearing a half hour that they fought and Loke began to realize that he had no advantage even being the stronger one and might even lose to an unlucky maneuver. He _had_ to free Lucy so she could call on one of the others to help her. In what seemed a moment of the wizard's distraction, Loke tried to destroy the lacrima and free her, but he left himself open for a crucial moment. Kral shot him with a blast of angry red shadow that struck directly in the chest. Loke had no choice left but to return to the Celestial world. His eyes were incredibly sad as he murmured an apology to Lucy and faded back to his own plane.

"Loke!" she cried out in worry and frustration. Tears spilled down her face and she sent a little prayer for his wellbeing.

This couldn't happen, her friends would be subservient to this maniac if she didn't escape. Somehow she had to get free! She tried not to despair, at the least Loke had bought her a little more time. Precious time in which her Fairy Tail friends might find her. She could only put her faith in the hope that they already knew she was missing and were looking for her. Natsu would be so angry, and this only seemed to show that maybe she _did_ need a protector after all. How pathetic that she was so easily taken.

 _No! I can't think like that! I just have to stay strong. They_ will _find me. I just have to hold out until they do._

"Naughty girl!" scolded the dark wizard. "You didn't mention you could call a Spirit without your keys. But this shows me your power is even greater than I had thought! How delightful!"

"Why would I tell you _anything_ that would help you?"

"True enough," he shrugged. "But if I read your expression correctly, you can only call _him_ that way. How lucky for me that this happened first, or I'd have been at a disadvantage." Kral chuckled and pulled out a knife. "Ah well, on to business."

Kral laid the knife across his own palm and drew a thin line of blood. He then pressed his hand against the lacrima and she felt a surge of power. He didn't speak, he didn't make any magic circles, and it was simply the presence of his blood that activated the spell, so he must have set it up beforehand. Blood magic was forbidden magic, which meant this guy really didn't have any scruples about what magic he used. It wasn't even forbidden just because it was wrong to use the blood of others for magic. Even when using one's own magic, the consequences could be very bad if one wasn't entirely careful and precise. When he removed his hand the lacrima seemed to thrum with power and she suddenly felt her magic begin to be slowly and _painfully_ drawn out of her body.

Lucy screamed as her magic was slowly ripped away from her. The wizard gleefully watched as the wave of magic was drawn from her. When it stopped she was left panting, her throat sore.

She laid unmoving and weak in the lacrima until a second wave of the magic absorbing spell hit and yet again screams were drawn from her abused body. She pressed desperately against the lacrima walls, trying to break out, then balled her fists so tightly she felt her nails bite into her palms and tried to get the room to hit the lacrima. When this wave was over she fought tears and despair as she tried to recover.

"This will take quite a while, my dear. I'm afraid you have a most unpleasant evening ahead of you. Several hours I'd expect, given your level of magic power. I'll check in on the progress from time to time, don't worry."

He began to leave the room but turned back at the door, grabbing her keys and taking them with him. "And on the incredibly small possibility that you muster the ability to call another spirit, breaking the lacrima _will_ kill you. You can only be free if I give my blood once more to the spell, and I promise you I have no intentions of doing that. No one will be able to save you in time."

"You don't know my friends," she panted. "They _will_ save me! They are going to kick your ass and you will _wish_ that you had never even heard of Fairy Tail." Just then another wave of pain and more magic was drawn from her. She heard a derisive laugh as he watched her in pain, then he left when it was over.

She sat panting and feeling weaker as she tried to keep herself from crying. Suddenly Virgo was before her, completely unexpectedly.

"Virgo! How are you here?!" she asked quietly, but with excitement in her voice.

"Onii-san told me you were in danger and unable to summon us, Princess. I came once I sensed you were alone again. I shall free you now."

"No!" Lucy said quickly. "Breaking the lacrima will kill me, at least if he's telling the truth, and I don't have much reason to doubt it. He's using some type of blood magic for this magic absorption spell that will absorb not just my magic but my abilities. It will also keep my contracts intact, if he succeeds! He must be defeated and his blood given to the spell again to deactivate it and free me."

"Then how can I help you, Princess?" Virgo enquired.

Another wave of the absorption spell hit her and Virgo's normally impassive face was softened by concern. When it was over she moved closer to the lacrima as Lucy sat panting.

"If this spell isn't stopped, I'm done for, and all of my Spirit friends will be bound to a maniac! Can you get out of here to find Natsu and my friends?" Lucy asked weakly.

"I believe so, Princess. I shall try to find them and explain the situation, then lead them back. I cannot stay as long as Onii-san but I shall do my best."

"Try to cover any sign that you were here, Virgo, please. If he knows that you were here he may do something to make rescue harder."

"Understood, Princess, I shall do my best!"

"Thank you, Virgo! I am so grateful for your help," whispered Lucy.

After Virgo left and Lucy had rested a bit, another wave came. She fought the draw on her magic as best she could through the pain and tried to maintain faith and hope.

* * *

It was fully sunset before Natsu and the others were met by Virgo. They were very surprised to see her without Lucy and became even more worried. Upon hearing the details of the danger she was in, Natsu roared in rage, fire bellowing from his mouth into the sky.

"Natsu! Calm down! We need to think," Erza said sternly.

"HOW CAN I BE CALM?" he roared.

"Because unfocused rage will not help her right now!" Erza yelled and hit him over the head in her usual violent manner. "We _will_ rescue her, but I need you to focus!"

Natsu fought down his anger with great difficulty and vaguely heard Erza questioning Virgo for details.

"Princess said that he suggested the drain on her magic could take several hours and he had only begun shortly before my arrival to her. There is still time yet to save her, but the wizard himself must be defeated and his blood used to deactivate the magic and free her. Otherwise harming the lacrima will cause her death."

"Are you sure he used his blood?" Levy chimed in.

"She was positive," Virgo replied.

"That's forbidden magic. But it gives us a bit of an advantage. He will be bound to this spell. Another reason he will not want the lacrima destroyed is that it would significantly harm him, as well. His magic will be weaker until the lacrima is done absorbing Lu's magic. I've read about this kind of magic, it is possible that Wendy and I may be able to slow it down."

"Alright. Virgo will lead us there. Natsu, Gray and I will look for this Kral. Virgo will bring Levy, Wendy and Gajeel into Lucy's cell the way she left it. Gajeel, if the wizard is in with Lucy when you get to her, you and Pantherlily will handle him until we get there."

"Alright, then let's go! The more we talk the longer he hurts her!" yelled Natsu angrily.

They all nodded in agreement at the plan and followed Virgo to what looked like an old abandoned villa or small mansion. _Hold on, Lucy. I'm comin' for ya!_ Before they were within sight of anyone who might look out the windows Virgo had taken Levy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel and Lily underground back to Lucy. She'd have to go back to the Celestial realm right afterwards, but she'd given them great help.

When they reached the front door Natsu kicked it in unceremoniously and sniffed the air to see where the wizard might be. They stood in a large foyer with rooms leading off to both the left and right and a very large staircase in front of them leading to the upper floors. Given that the room Lucy was in had no windows, it was likely a cellar or basement.

The scent of the wizard was strongest towards the upper floors so they headed toward the stairs. Before they reached them, however, they heard a ragged but muffled scream come from somewhere in the building. It was Lucy's voice and the sheer amount of pain it held made the three of them blanch and want to destroy anything that would prevent her rescue.

Hearing Lucy's scream Natsu roared her name, not remembering or caring that the wizard might hear them. "LUCY! WE'RE ON OUR WAY!"

He didn't know if she could hear him and he tried hard to tell where the scream had come from, but it slowly faded, then stopped. It had gone on for so long he couldn't imagine what was happening to her.

Suddenly they felt power rising around them and saw horrific shadow creatures emerging from the edges of the great room. Finally, something he could vent his rage on.

"Get out of my way!" Natsu yelled and attacked the shades with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist and Wing attacks, destroying the majority of them. Then he ran straight toward the stairs. Erza and Gray were right behind him, taking out any remaining creatures. Natsu wanted nothing more than to run directly to Lucy but he _had_ listened enough to know the wizard Kral needed to be defeated first.

Once up the stairs, they took the left corridor. Yet somehow it seemed as though they never got very far and an endless flow of shadow shades kept attacking them. At this rate it looked as though the wizard was trying to exhaust them. He didn't realize how strong they were, it seemed, these shades were not going to stop them from reaching and defeating him, they were almost as nothing compared to dragons, after all.

* * *

Levy and the rest were brought into the room holding Lucy by Virgo's underground tunnels. Thankfully the dark wizard was not currently in with her.

Levy's heart ached to see her friend in such a state. Lucy looked so weak. Her eyes had dark circles around them, there was blood on her hands from where her nails had cut into her palms. Her hands also looked battered from pounding on the lacrima as little as she could, given the cramped space within.

"Oh, Lulu," she said softly and went to the lacrima, touching it gently.

The blonde stirred within the sphere and the relief in her eyes was palpable. "Levy? Oh, thank Mavis!" She began to cry softly, and Levy spoke soothing words to her.

"Natsu, Erza and Gray are here as well. We are going to get you out of here, Lu!"

Lucy nodded and Levy could see the hope growing stronger in her eyes. She was determined they would save her closest friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: As you already know from my Loke/Kral fight, I'm not particularly proficient at writing fight scenes. I tried using other fights as reference and I just don't seem to have much talent for it, I apologize. Hopefully the upcoming scene does a somewhat better job than my previous attempts. We'll have to see, though.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Lucy didn't know how long she'd been in this lacrima, how long it had been stealing her magic, draining her strength and even pulling the very life from her. The Darkness Magic wizard, Kral, had come back to gloat and watch her in pain four times already and she did not know how long it had been since the last time. She knew, with as slowly as this lacrima was absorbing her, that she had some time left before it was too late. She fought the drain with everything she had, holding onto her magic with as much will as she could muster, trying to delay the completion of the spell. She tried to maintain her faith, but she also knew that she couldn't let her friends, the Spirits, fall under Kral's control.

She had made a plan. If it looked as though she would not be rescued in time, she would bite her tongue deeply enough to end it. It wasn't the best way to go, but she had to protect her friends. She didn't know any destruction magic to cast upon herself as Jellal had tried to do back during the Nirvana incident, so this was all she could think of. She didn't know if that would stop the spell that was absorbing her powers, but it would certainly end the contracts she had with her Spirits. And she did not believe new contracts could be forced upon them using only this lacrima. Death prior to the finalization of the spell should prevent that.

The decision made, she rode out the waves of painful draining magic. Between the waves she rested, nearly passing out. It was with intense relief that she was woken from one of these periods, not by her captor but by Levy.

 _Levy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel and Lily! They came for me! Oh, thank Heavens!_ "Levy? Oh, thank Mavis!" Tears sprung to her eyes and rand down her cheeks. Levy spoke softly and reassured her that it would be alright. Levy told her that their other friends were there as well, and Lucy felt more hope. She was vaguely aware of Levy and Wendy in a discussion, trying to decide a combination of magic that could slow the magic draining spell down to buy the others time. Levy cursed not being able to have her books, but soon they'd decided to try and combine some of Wendy's cleansing magic and rune magic, even though runes were not Levy's specialty.

Before they could begin, however, the next wave of magic came and Lucy was screaming again. Through the pain Lucy swore she heard a faint call that came in Natsu's voice, "Lucy! We're on our way!"

When it was over she kept herself from slipping into sleep so that she could pay attention to what Levy and Wendy were doing.

Gajeel and Lily were keeping guard while Wendy and Levy worked. Levy wrote runes on the lacrima that were infused with Wendy's cleansing magic. They were designed to inhibit magic within their bounds enough to cause the lacrima's draining effects to slow down. Levy couldn't figure a way in which to completely stop it, but she hoped this would help. The idea of combining the magic types was to also try and reduce the pain it put Lucy through as well.

When the next wave of absorption magic hit her, though I still hurt and made Lucy cry out, she could tell that it took somewhat less magic from her, and had not hurt as badly. She smiled reassuringly afterwards to let them know it had apparently worked, but she was still too exhausted to speak for a couple of minutes.

It seemed as well that the runes extended the duration in which she had to recover, thankfully. It allowed her to have a brief conversation after she'd caught her breath. She took the opportunity to appraise Levy of her wishes should she somehow fail to be saved.

"Levy?"

"Yeah, Lulu?"

"I know that you are all trying your hardest to get me out, and I have faith that you will. I have faith that Natsu, Erza and Gray can beat this guy. But…" and here she hesitated, "just in case the worse _does_ happen, in case I can't be saved, I want you to make sure you destroy this lacrima and, if my keys can be found, take them to Yukino. I know she would take very good care of my friends."

"Lulu, that isn't going to happen. But if it will help you to feel better, then I will promise."

"Thank you, Levy." Lucy smiled and tried to stay calm and relax until the drain of magic again came. Natsu would save her, she was sure. But at least her friends would be safe if something went wrong.

* * *

The army of shadow shades was beginning to lessen, but was in no way done, and Natsu was becoming impatient. He knocked a particularly large shade into a wall and noticed an odd shudder to the wall that should not have been. Suddenly he knew part of what was going on and growled low in his throat.

"Gray, Erza, down!" he yelled and let loose with a Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame attack. The spell vaporized the remaining shades and dispelled the illusion that was on the hallway, hiding the entrance to the wizard's sanctuary.

"An illusion?" Gray asked from behind his nearly broken Ice Shield.

"It would appear," stated Erza dryly, her own shield scorched but fine. "Good work, Natsu."

"Let's go kick this guy's ass!" Natsu exclaimed and stalked toward the wizard's door, fists blazing.

He was incapable at this point of reining himself in from his anger and ended up punching in the door in his usual dramatic fashion.

The wizard stood prepared, waiting for them. His dark eyes were fierce with a crazed quality to them. In either hand he held a cantaloupe sized lacrima, each glowing with power, one a silvery color, the other a dark and sickly green. On a table behind him stood several more lacrima. One was a sullen purple that only weakly glowed, as if it had been drained.

Natsu, in one of his moments of remarkable clarity, understood what these were. All those lacrima, glowing with power, were other wizards that this monster had used in the same way he was using Lucy! The one that looked dull and drained was likely the magic of an illusion wizard. The evil of this wizard had to be stopped.

Without any of his usual threats, questions or warnings, Natsu attacked. The wizard winked out of sight and reappeared behind Gray, ready to attack. Erza was faster, though, and swung at him with her sword. It would have connected, too, if he hadn't winked out of sight again. So one of those lacrima was for teleportation magic. The fight appeared to be a bit trickier than they had anticipated. Natsu attacked next with a blast of his fire and yet again Kral teleported out of the way. He reappeared too close to Gray, however, who let out with a hard kick. It caught the wizard in the stomach and he doubled over, disappearing again. When he appeared next he cast upon them a cloud of the sickly green magic which turned out to be a poison cloud.

They tried not to breathe much of it in, but it was difficult not to get in some, and things became slightly fuzzy, to them. Luckily they all had hearty constitutions and this one cloud of poison magic was not enough to fell them….yet. But it was powerful and they couldn't let him get more of that magic out. He appeared close to Erza again and she thrust her sword with such lightning speed that he couldn't completely dodge it.

Kral's eyes were full of shock as she contacted, not with his body, but with the lacrima in his hand! Erza had determined that he would not fell them with this cowardly poison. The sickly green orb shattered and the wizard cried out, clutching his head and disappearing, to appear behind the desk again.

Natsu's eyes narrowed, and comprehension dawned in the eyes of both Gray and Erza. Erza had merely been trying to disable his use of that particular magic, but it appeared that even after the lacrima were finished draining the magic of their victims, they never fully lost their connection to the blood magic user. This was one reason that blood magic was forbidden, the consequences to the caster could _also_ be very high.

The three exchanged looks and nodded, an unspoken plan in place. Yes, they would still fight him, but destroying the lacrima would be another means of taking him down. And perhaps it might release whatever remained of the poor souls that had been so terribly captured in them.

Kral saw what they knew in their eyes and knew he had to protect the lacrima. He fought with more urgency, picking up another lacrima and throwing lightning and water spells at them. Gray froze the water, Erza used her Lightning Empress Armor to deflect the lightning, and Natsu attacked again. He went for the wizard with a flaming fist, but also took the opportunity to destroy another of the lacrima. This time he clutched his heart and grabbed as many of the lacrima as he could to protect them. He winked out and reappeared next to the door. Only two remained on the desk, and he tried to escape out the door. Apparently he could only teleport to locations he could physically see. Gray put an ice barrier across the door and Natsu smashed another of the lacrima on the desk while Erza attacked him again.

Kral managed to dodge Erza's sword but only barely, and cried out in pain once more from the loss of the next lacrima. Erza slashed again and caught him across the side. He dropped two more lacrima on the ground. They were not damaged, but Gray gathered them up quickly. The wizard still had three in his possession but he was panting and having difficulty even standing. Natsu came in for an attack and the wizard let out with the magic of the first lacrima at hand. Unfortunately for Kral, it happened to be a fire wizard's magic. The blast hit but Natsu simply ate the fire. Kral's eyes went wide, understanding his error, and he cowered from the unbelievable sight of a man devouring fire. Natsu looked incredibly fearsome as he wound up for a large wing attack. Erza and Gray prepared themselves to duck if need be, and Kral had nowhere to hide when the flames hit him. The remaining lacrima in his arms were also destroyed at that point, as well as the three that he did not hold, simply from the extent of the fire blast.

Kral was left in a quivering, writhing mess after the attack. The backlash of the blood magic was strong, indeed. The three comrades gathered and stared down at him. "I'd say that counts as defeating him," said Erza.

Natsu nodded grimly in agreement. "Now we just have to drag is ass down to wherever he's got Lucy and use his blood to cancel the spell holding her."

Gray thought for a moment. "Let's check the desk, quickly, just to make sure there aren't any more lacrima left."

"Screw that, Stripper! I'm not waiting around a second longer than I have to. I'm getting Lucy out!" shouted Natsu. He grabbed the back of Kral's clothes and started dragging him out back towards the foyer where he meant to catch Lucy's scent.

Erza looked between Natsu and Gray. Gray shrugged and she told him to make a brief pass through the room, and catch up quickly, then followed Natsu out.

Natsu finally arrived at the cell holding Lucy in the middle of another wave of draining magic. He rushed in and upon seeing her screaming and writhing in pain within the sphere he dropped Kral and rushed to the lacrima. He shouted her name and pressed his fists against the lacrima, wanting nothing so much as to break it open. He realized, however, that would be a terrible idea and stayed as close to her as he could while she rode out the drain of her magic.

When it was over and she looked at him, panting and weak but with such heartbreaking relief in her eyes he almost lost it. "We're here, Luce. We're getting you out of there." She smiled a tired and weak smile, but nodded. "Erza, can you bring that asshole over here so we can get Lucy out?"

Erza brought him over, and even though Kral was already bleeding from his side she preferred to reopen the cut he'd made when he activated the spell in the first place. Then she forced his hand against the side of the sphere. The lacrima glowed an angry red briefly, a spell circle appeared on the outside for about ten seconds then it went back to looking like a simple empty lacrima sphere, except Lucy was still inside.

"The spell _was_ stopped," Levy said. "That's what that magic circle was about. But it looks like we'll still have to break her out of the lacrima."

"Luce, cover your face," Natsu said and brought back a flaming fist to break the lacrima apart.

When it shattered, Lucy was sprawled on the broken shards of the lacrima and Kral groaned again as if in pain. Apparently he was still linked to the magic, even after it was deactivated. Natsu rushed forward and picked Lucy up off of the shards to bring her over to the edge of the room where he could sit her down for Wendy to look at her.

There were tears in Lucy's eyes and one hand stayed clutched onto Natsu's sleeve, not letting him go. "I knew you'd come," she whispered, then passed out, finally able to rest after her ordeal. Natsu stayed holding Lucy as Wendy worked to heal her hurts and see what lasting damage might have been done. Erza had Levy contact Cana to report in with what had happened and to request the rune nights to come pick up Kral and conduct whatever investigation they felt necessary. Erza also remembered a bounty on a wizard that seemed to match with Kral and she wanted to make sure they gave him over directly to the rune knights to make sure they collected on it. It may not have been their intent, but this wizard had been wanted for 8 years and Erza was practical enough to make sure they benefited from this horrible situation.

Gray found them and smiled in relief to see Lucy was alright. Levy was leaving instructions with Cana on where she'd meet the rune knights to lead them to the manor, then asked if Lily would go with her to meet them. Gajeel started to say he'd go with her, but Erza said she wanted him and Gray to stay with her so that there was no way the dark wizard would be able to escape. Lily should be enough protection for Levy, she argued, and Levy agreed. Gajeel grumbled but ended up agreeing.

Wendy declared that Lucy would be alright, eventually. She was suffering from severe magical deficiency from the draining of her magic. True, the lacrima had not been able to steal all of her magic and still had at least another hour or two to go before it had managed that, but the severity with which it was pulled from Lucy's body had caused damage to her, and it would not be wise for her to use magic for several days. Physically Wendy had healed the bruises, the cuts, and done what she could for the aches and pains as well, however the stress of the ordeal would have left Lucy exhausted, probably for a couple of days after this. She would need a _lot_ of rest to fully recover. But she stated that it was fine to move her, and that it would be a good idea to get her home. The rune knights could very well come to her for any questioning they wished to do.

Erza, Gray and Gajeel agreed that they would be fine by themselves with the dark wizard and urged Natsu to take good care of Lucy.

Happy flew at Natsu's shoulder the whole way back, worried and near tears for their friend, letting the worry that Natsu felt, but tried to keep in, have a way to be shown. As they returned to Magnolia the little Exceed held Lucy's keys, that Gray had found and recovered, tightly to his chest as if he were hugging Lucy herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Final chapter. I hope you have enjoyed reading this half as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was such fun and I'm in process with my other stories about Fairy Tail Lives. We'll see who comes next, hm? I think posting the whole thing at once, while fun, may take away a little in getting to see reactions to the story while in process, but I just couldn't help it! Since I'd waited until it was all finished as satisfactorily as I could manage for a first story, I felt compelled to post when I got excited over my first follows and favorites. Maybe for future stories I'll manage to take some more time with it, haha! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6:

Lucy woke up with a breeze blowing across her face. She opened her eyes to see she was in her own apartment, with the window letting in a beautiful soft breeze of fresh air. She started to stir and found Happy was laying on the pillow curled up next to her head, and when she looked to the edge of the bed, Natsu was asleep sitting on the floor but with his head and one arm on the bed, as if he had been sitting vigil next to her bedside.

It was midmorning and the sun was nice and bright today. She smiled softly and placed one arm over Happy, and the other hand on Natsu's head. She hugged Happy gently and stroked Natsu's hair. Natsu came awake quickly and looked at her with surprised, wide eyes. "Luce!" he cried and after a moment grinned his happy grin. He wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly. "You're finally awake!"

Happy stirred next to them and when he realized what was going on he started chattering happily about how glad he was Lucy was awake and that they'd been worried about her.

"Was I really asleep for a long time?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah!" Natsu responded as if it were common knowledge. "I mean, it was night before last that we found you and beat that asshole up, then brought you back home."

"Everybody was worried about you, Lushy!" exclaimed Happy. "Wendy, and Levy, and Erza, and even Gray have come to check on you. And Natsu wouldn't leave, he was so worried." The Exceed paused then grinned, "because he lliiiiiikes you!" then giggled and got out of the way of Natsu's light swing at him. Although Lucy noticed Natsu didn't actually refute the statement. Although he often ignored that stuff simply because he was oblivious to romantic sensibilities, but she'd at least expected a "do _not_ , Happy!" out of the Dragon Slayer. It even almost looked like his cheeks were a little pink. But no, she must be imagining things.

There was a knock on her door and she wondered who it could be. She started to get up, but Natsu told her to stay sitting in bed. "I guess that's Erza and Gray. They said they'd come check on ya today."

He went and let them into her apartment and he was right. It was Erza and Gray, with Wendy and Carla as well, to check on her recovery. "Lucy, you are awake, we are very pleased to see that," Erza said in her usual stiff manner, but her beautiful smile made up for her stiffness.

"We were hopin' you'd be awake by now, Lucy," said Gray. "Plus, with you out, Hothead there did nothing but mope."

"I wasn't _moping_! You want to start something, Stripper?"

"Guys!" Lucy interrupted. "Not in my apartment, please."

Gray and Natsu had the good manners to look a bit sheepish about their fighting habit, and Erza had to remind Gray that he'd managed to strip in the last two minutes. Erza then informed Lucy of what had happened with Kral. The rune knights confirmed that there would have been no way to retrieve the victims of Kral's magical absorption, and it turned out the destruction of those lacrima had caused him some permanent magical damage. He would likely never use much, if any, magic again. However he was also unlikely to ever be released from prison, either. As she had suspected, he had been wanted for quite a long time. Eight years, in fact. The bounty on him had grown over those eight years and had been much larger than Erza had expected. 5 million jewels had been their reward.

"5 million?!" exclaimed Lucy.

"It would seem," replied Erza with a slight smile. "We've all talked it over and decided to split it 10 ways between all who were there since we hadn't been planning on a reward. As long as that is satisfactory?"

"Yeah!" Lucy said happily.

Wendy smiled and came to sit next to Lucy, checking on her. "You're doing pretty well. I'd still say you should rest a lot for the next couple of days, minimum. You're recovery from the magic deficiency is going well, but don't use magic for at least another five days. I don't think you'll have any lasting effects from it, though. We are lucky that you are as strong of a wizard as you are, Lucy, if you'd been weaker the lacrima would not have had to take so long to absorb all of your power."

"Speaking of magic use," Gray chimed in, "while I was pokin' around that room after we beat that guy's ass, I found two extra gate keys in his desk. Apparently you weren't the first Celestial Wizard he'd tried this with, Lucy. I didn't tell the rune knights I found them, since I figured you'd make a better 'master' for Celestial Spirits than most other wizards out there. I don't know anything about these keys, but here." He handed her two keys.

Lucy's eyes went incredibly wide when she took them and looked at the keys. "Gray, I can't believe you found these! This one," she said holding up a silver key, "is Canis Major, the 'Big Dog', that I've been trying to find for a long time. And _this_ is a key I've never seen!" she exclaimed, holding up the other key. It was red gold and had twined around the stem what looked like a tendril of fire, at the bow of the key flames gave the impression of feathered wings, and the bit of the key the flames resembled a feathered tail. The key was rather like the one for Ophiuchus in how it was stylized. "I think….I can't believe it, but I _think_ this is the constellation Phoenix! Given the appearance of its gate key I'd imagine this is a powerful Spirit! I suspected their might be a Phoenix Spirit, but wasn't ever sure!" Lucy was filled with such excitement and joy at the idea of two more Spirit friends, especially ones who could help her get stronger. "Thank you so much, Gray, you're amazing!" She shot him a beautific smile and he blushed slightly, unused to effusive thanks.

The others were all suitably impressed, as well, and Gray simply said it was nothing. Had Lucy been watching Natsu, however, instead of looking over her new keys she might have noticed a slight shadow over his expression after the praise she gave Gray.

The others stayed for about half an hour before heading back out. Erza mentioned that Mirajane had sent over food the day before so Lucy wouldn't have to cook for a couple of days. Lucy asked Erza to pass on her thanks. Wendy said she would come check on Lucy again tomorrow if she didn't feel up to coming into the guild hall and they left again. Only Natsu and Happy continued to stay.

Once the others were gone, Lucy realized she felt like she needed a bath from having been in a bed for so long. Something about being unconscious so long made her feel as though he needed to get clean.

"Natsu, I want to take a bath. I should be ok, if there is anything you want, or need, to go do. You must be bored staying here so long."

"Yeah, Natsu! Let's go fishing!" suggested an excited Happy.

"Sorry, Buddy, but I wanna stay. If you want, you can go. Why not go hang out with Wendy and Carla for a while? Natsu replied in an offhand manner, resting his hands behind his head and stretching a little.

"Aw, you sure, Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, pal. But you don't have ta stay on my account."

"Weeell…..ok! Maybe _Carla_ will want to go fishing!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and got up carefully. She was still sore from her ordeal. "Feel better, Lushy!" Happy called as he flew out the window, and Lucy yelled goodbye after him.

"If you really want to stay, that's fine, Natsu. Just don't poke around my things, for once, huh?"

He just grinned at her. She glared, then gave up and grabbed some clean clothes to bring into the bathroom with her. The hot bath really made her feel better. A lot of her soreness went away and she could move much easier afterwards. She got out after she'd soaked for a while and gotten nice and clean. Then she dressed in a pink tank top and black shorts.

When she came out Natsu was doing sit ups in the middle of the room. She watched him for a minute with a wry smile. "I _knew_ you'd be bored here."

"Eh, maybe a little, but I figured you'd be lonely," he said with a grin.

"You're so _weird_ , Natsu," she mumbled.

"Yeah, right. You're the one who acts weird all the time," he retorted.

She threw a small decorative pillow at him and then whined as it caused her muscles to protest. Natsu caught the pillow then looked at her worriedly. "You ok, Luce? Maybe you should rest some more."

"Maybe, but I'm starving so I need to get some food together."

"Hey, no problem! When Mira brought over the food she told me it just needs to be heated up. Everything is all cooked and ready to eat! And if there's something I'm good at, it's heating things up!" He sounded entirely too enthusiastic to Lucy.

"Setting things on fire is more like it," she said. "Just…don't set my kitchen on fire, huh? And…try not to burn the food."

"Yeah, yeah. You worry too much, Luce."

"Says the guy who consistently destroys things on jobs and costs us reward money," she muttered.

While he poked around her kitchen getting out food and dishes, she picked up her keys and hugged them close. "I'm sorry I won't be able to see you guys for a few days, but I want to say thank you for always being there for me! I am so happy you are my friends. Oh, and if you know which Spirits these new keys belong to, tell them that I can't wait to meet them."

Natsu came back out with bowls in one hand and a pot of something that was steaming and smelled delicious in the other. It turned out to be a very good stew. Surprisingly, Natsu _had_ succeeded in burning neither the food nor the kitchen. It relieved her to know he'd been careful.

They finished the stew and Lucy stretched and yawned. "Wow, I guess I'm tired again."

"Wendy said you'd need rest," Natsu said and shrugged.

"Yeah. And at least I didn't sleep as long as you did after you ate that Etherion. I think you slept for three days, didn't you?"

"Did I?" Natsu pondered, a blank look on his face.

"You forgot that, too?! The things you forget, Natsu. Really, I'm surprised you remember _anything_." She got up and started picking up dishes, which Natsu helped with.

A thought came to her mind and she voiced it before she'd even thought to keep it in. "Natsu, if you were so bored, and I'm sure you were, why did you stay the whole time I was unconscious?" It wasn't until the thought was voiced that she thought to be embarrassed and blushed lightly as she put the dishes in the sink and rinsed them quickly to scrub later. _I wonder what he'll say_ , she thought and turned to meet his answer.

* * *

Natsu had been thinking as he stayed with Lucy after they got back safe and sound. Wendy had helped him get her settled and had told him she'd stay with him. But Lucy had gripped his vest and murmured "stay" before falling into a deeper sleep. So Wendy had left, telling him to send for her if he needed her.

Happy had been so tired that he'd gone right to sleep next to Lucy. Natsu, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. He as too focused on thinking about Lucy. His thoughts even went back to when he had first met her. She'd seemed really nice when they'd met, though saving her had been a complete accident. And when they'd run away from Hargeon it was that he felt she was nice, fun, _wanted_ to join Fairy Tail and that he liked her scent that prompted him to bring her to the guild. Even though he later tricked her into teaming up with him for the quest at Everlue's mansion, he also thought she was really fun and weird in a mostly good way, making him want to _stay_ teammates and friends.

During the Phantom Lord War she had endeared herself even more to him. She was kidnapped and beaten up. She jumped off a building because she'd _thought_ she heard his voice and trusted him to save her. She didn't cry for her own hurts, but for what had been done to their guild family, their friends. She cried because she loved Fairy Tail and didn't want to leave them. It was then, he realized, that was a turning point. That's when he started to think of her as maybe a little closer than just a new friend. He was happy around her, happier than he'd been since Lisanna had "died". He liked being around her, liked hanging around at her apartment, as he'd already realized was partly because it smelled like her and he liked her scent. It was also when he'd first realized he could lose her and had not liked that idea at _all_.

She'd risen to every challenge as best she could. Yeah, she might complain sometimes but she always gave things her best. Even when she had nothing left to give she would try. Like when they fought against Oracion Seis and Nirvana. That trait and her loyalty had earned her three Celestial Spirit friends and companions.

When she'd gotten sick, he'd been depressed that she couldn't enjoy the Rainbow Sakura trees and festival. He went so far as to uproot an important tree and float it down the canal which ran outside her bedroom window. He'd put it back, of course, but Master hadn't been happy about it. It was worth the trouble, though, if he could make her happy.

When they'd gone to Edolas and Lucy had been slated for execution he was filled with rage. He was fighting for them all, but he got even angrier, then. On Tenrou when Kain nearly tried to kill her, she'd refused to run or leave him, even though she couldn't beat the curse wizard. Maybe she _couldn't_ have run but the fact that she had refused even the option affected him. When they'd returned from Tenrou and Lucy had found out about her father he'd wanted to be there for her however he could. And she'd worked her way even deeper into his life by then.

When the Infinity Clock business came up he'd nearly lost it when they thought they'd lost _her_. He'd been wracked with guilt and sorrow that they hadn't – _he hadn't_ – been able to save her. Luckily things had not ended up in the dire way that he'd feared, but that was when he'd begun to think and wonder some days if Lucy had become more to him than just a friend. When she'd snuck in and cleaned his house instead of pulling any pranks he'd felt really pleased, and he felt absolutely ecstatic that his home smelled like Lucy for a while. He began to wonder what it would have been like if she'd lived there always, to have her air of domesticity to his house.

Then during the Grand Magic Games they went through a lot more hard times but they believed in each other. It had touched him when he'd seen her before his fight with Rogue and Sting to have her leave her faith in him as she had done. There'd been several moments of embarrassed little blushes that day on either side but he'd let them go unnoticed at the time.

Everything changed when they met the Lucy of the future and the dragons attacked. Seeing her die right before his eyes, that Rogue had stolen something precious to him and he couldn't stop it, that had affected him irrevocably. After it was all over and she'd given him the tender hug, his heart had skipped a beat. He hadn't done it, but he'd wanted to gather her in his arms and hold her for as long as he could.

It all added up to some important realizations. He could no longer imagine life without her in it. And he wanted to spend as much of it with her as possible. Her scent could fill his senses like no one else, and he remembered Igneel saying something about how the scent of his mate would strongly affect him. He cared for her more deeply than pretty much anyone and while he didn't spend a _lot_ of time thinking about the physical charms of the opposite sex, he definitely found her attractive and blushed at his own thoughts, briefly.

He might be ridiculously dense about these kinds of things but he knew this added up to one very important realization. It made him smile and he'd finally been able to sleep. He'd crawled into bed with Lucy and held her close all night. He _had_ , in fact, been bored the next day, but he wasn't going to leave her until she had woken up.

Because of all his recent thinking and revelations he didn't even have to think about his answer when Lucy asked "why did you stay the whole time I was unconscious?"

"Well, first off, you asked me to stay," he said.

"I did?" she asked, blushing and trying to hide it.

"Yup, ya did. Wendy was gonna stay with ya, but you asked me to stay, so I did. And secondly, what kind of guy leaves his mate alone when she needs him around to take care of her?"

She went completely still and her whole face turned very red. "Wh-what did you just say?"

He rolled his eyes. "Jeeze, Luce, pay attention, would ya. I _said_ , what kind of guy leaves his mate alone when she needs him?"

"What are you talking about? Mate?!"

"You-you didn't know? You're so smart, I figured I was just dense about it as usual and everybody already must have figured it out. I mean, we get teased about it by Happy and Mira all the time." He looked at her with a little confusion on his features. He'd really thought she already knew she was his mate.

"What….I don't…I mean…um, wh-what about Lisanna?" she deflected and was now nearly crimson with blushing.

"Nah, Lisanna and I are just friends. Just between us, it hurt some to think she'd planned to stay in Edolas if the Anima hadn't sent us all back."

"But, I mean…Natsu, wh-what makes you think I'm your mate?" she asked, too embarrassed to look at him and now he actually blushed a tiny bit, too.

"Well, you trust me and have faith in me like nobody else. I like being with you, even when you act weird or kinda scary. I can't imagine my life without you anymore, and I don't want to. My protective streak goes out of control with you and, your scent really affects me. It calms me when I need it and makes me really happy. It can fill up my head where I don't think of much else, sometimes." When he was done explaining he waited for her to speak.

"What about l-love, Natsu?" she asked shyly.

"Jeeze, weirdo," he said and bonked her gently on the head. "Of course I love you, didn't I _just_ explain that?"

"Girls need to hear the actual _words_ , dummy!" she defended, then froze. "Wait, you _do_ love me?"

He just stared at her with a reproachful look for obviously not paying attention and being as dense as _he_ usually was if she was asking that _again_. "Yes."

She smiled shyly and looked at him finally. "I-I love you, too, Natsu," she spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper. Natsu felt incredibly happy and grinned at her like an idiot.

* * *

Lucy was both embarrassed and pleased by Natsu's declaration. It made her finally admit that there was no "maybe" left. She _did_ love Natsu. So now that he'd confessed it to her, it was time for her to finally voice that feeling as well. She felt oddly shy as she looked up at him. "I-I love you, too, Natsu," she said quietly.

He grinned that idiotic but endearing, happy grin at her. "I know," he said.

 _That_ floored her. "What do you mean, you know?"

"Well, you jumped off a _building_ 'cause you knew I'd save you. You cleaned my house instead of playing pranks, and you have a cute blush sometimes around me," he said with a smile, then took her hands. "Plus your pulse goes fast sometimes when I get close to you. Like….now," he smiled with a teasing tone.

Lucy pulled her hands back and smacked his arm. "Stop embarrassing me," she mumbled. "So…what do we do now?"

"You're my mate, Luce. I wanna spend our lives together. For Dragons, we pretty much mate for life once we find our mate."

"It's a little weird to think of us in a relationship. Isn't it?" she queried.

"I guess. But things don't have to change much, for now. Sure, we've figured out that part, but we can play the rest by ear. Although, there is _one_ thing I'd like to change right away," he said.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I'd really like it if you didn't kick me out anymore, even if I do sneak into bed with you," he said.

Lucy blushed again but chuckled softly. "I suppose I can agree to that." She finally seemed calmer and smiled at him sweetly. "So it really is ok if we keep things slow? I-I've never dated anyone, let alone been in a serious relationship, before."

"Of course, Luce!" he reassured her. "I want to make sure you are happy, that we have a happy life."

She relaxed and sighed as if relieved. Then she came up to him and hugged him around the waist, tucking her head in against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She tilted her head back a bit to look up at him. His eyes darkened a bit and with a little smile he leaned down towards her. Their lips met in a very light and tender first kiss. It was surprising how sweetly Natsu kissed her. It was a perfect first kiss, as far as Lucy was concerned. When they separated she sighed happily and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "I love you, Natsu."

He smiled happily and held her tenderly to him. "I love you, too, Lucy."

The next day Lucy and Natsu went to the guild together with Happy flying above them, smiling like a Cheshire cat. They had told him the news and he'd taken well to it. They walked hand in hand, although there was no other outward sign that things had changed between the couple. However, it was enough that some guild members took notice, spread the word and suddenly the guildhall was quiet.

The two exchanged a glance, Natsu's questioning. Lucy blushed but shrugged non-committedly. Natsu grinned and turned back to the guild after putting his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"Alright, listen up!" Natsu yelled, almost defiantly. "No rumors from here on in. Lucy's my mate, we're takin' things slow, end of story!"

You could have heard a pin drop in the hall for a god 20 seconds before simultaneously Mirajane and Levy squealed, Cana made a triumphant sound, and at least half a dozen exclamations of "WHAT?!" were heard through the hall. They were immediately swarmed by their friends. There were well wishes and there was teasing. It was going to be a long day but it was the start of a brand new and exciting chapter of their lives.


	7. Chapter 7 Updates &Bonus Chapter

**Hi** **all!  
I have been so happy with the follows and favorites of my first story ever! For those following this story instead of me as an author, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm nearly finished with my next installation of Fairy Tail Lives. I've written up all but the last chapter or two and want to get it proofed before I post it, but I'm hoping that I will be able to start posting chapters within two weeks. Love to all my fabulous readers and I'd really love comments/reviews if anybody cares to.**

 **Update 2/20: Instead of writing a whole new bonus chapter I'm just updating here. Ok, so I have now learned my lesson about posting a time frame for any more stories. Life will always decide to prove me wrong and get in the way. Children and toddlers love to do that, as do medical issues and drama in life. The next installation IS done and has been sent to the friends doing my editing. As soon as that is done, posting of chapters will begin, they will be shorter than this story, but I will be posting the chapters daily. I am NOT going to give a time frame this time other than, as soon as I get corrections/suggestions back from my editors.**

 _I didn't want to go against the rules of posting authors notes without any of the story, so I wrote a little fluffy bonus chapter for you all. It's short and total fluff, but I hope you still like it. Enjoy and I hope to see you all in my next installment of Fairy Tail Lives soon to come._

Bonus chapter:

Lucy yawned and stretched as she woke from a nap this afternoon. Well, stretched as much as she could with a muscular and ridiculously warm fire dragon slayer beside her whose arms were around her and his legs were tangled with hers. She smiled and blushed a bit as she recalled their morning and early afternoon together. She and Natsu had, only about a month prior come to an understanding and determined that she was Natsu's mate. They'd taken things slowly, enjoyed each other's company and become more and more comfortable with each other.

Their relationship took a final turn just today. After lunch he'd helped her clean up the dishes and the kisses he'd extorted from her to be allowed out of the small kitchen had turned into much more for the first time ever. They'd been tentative with each other at first, but didn't rush things and were careful to be conscious of the other's enjoyment. As first times went, it had been a pleasant experience for them both. They'd neither wanted to leave the comfortable bed afterward and had simply pulled a sheet over themselves and fallen asleep for a brief nap.

She looked at his calm face and wiggled an arm out to where she could slowly run her fingers through Natsu's soft, pink hair. It was one of her favorite things to do in their moments of closeness. How she did love him, even with all his frustrating tendencies, or perhaps because of them. He was stubborn and hard headed, but he was also so very loyal and kind. What a lucky woman she was to have someone who respected her and watched her back.

Natsu stirred and slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness of sleep. He grinned that infectious and cheeky grin of his and her heart melted a little more. She also blushed again at the undertone this particular grin held. "Hi," he said simply.

"Hi," she murmured softly back. He chuckled at her blushes and kissed her forehead softly. "That was nice. I guess I understand what all the fuss is about, now." He grinned again.

"Yeah, it….it was." _Ugh, what a dunce I sound like,_ she thought to herself. "We, uhhh, we should probably get up and go on over to the guild. We haven't been there yet today and Levy was supposed to come back any day now….I don't want to miss her." She rambled a bit more and Natsu stopped her with a kiss that after a moment she relaxed into and returned.

When they separated again she sighed and he smiled. "Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed, ok? We can talk about anything you want, or not, whatever makes you more comfortable."

She smiled again and this time no blush accompanied it. She was just so grateful for his consideration. "Thanks, Natsu."

He just grinned and snuggled her close to him. They stayed that way for a few minutes until she reminded him that they really should put in an appearance at the guild to check for her best friend and see if any jobs appealed to them. He agreed and let her go get cleaned up and dressed while he got a drink and a snack and then did the same. While he was getting dressed she looked at him lovingly and was so glad that they'd finally come to be a couple. It was the happiest she'd been in an incredibly long time. Fairy Tail had been her salvation in so many ways. She looked forward to the future and what it held. There was likely to be a great deal of adventure and grief ahead, but still, what wonderful promise she could imagine ahead of them. And whatever it held, they'd experience it together!


End file.
